Caution: Grad life is not always “pink” (part 3)

Waiting for the bus that never comes

“Pink” in my culture means beautiful, perfect

Even though I experienced a bad day with the bus system in Columbus, I had no choice but continue to use the bus as the only transportation means, since the taxi cost was quite expensive to me. Wanting to fix my laptop, I took it to the IT service desk of Fisher, then BuckeyeBar of OSU, then Micro Center but no one could detect what the issue was. A technician at Micro Center checked my adapter and said that it worked normally so he requested me to leave my laptop there 4-5 days and pay $75 for diagnostics, in additional to a repairing fee. With such a large expense, I thought it would be better to buy a new laptop, so I took my laptop back. After leaving the Micro Center, I bought a set of bed sheets and a blanket. Holding a bunch of stuff in my hands and my laptop bag on my shoulders, I waited for the bus, which again did not come. Then I noticed that this bus route stopped during the holidays (!). I walked for a mile from the connecting bus stop to here. However, it was a different story to walk back that distance with my heavy baggage, tired from the long wait and disappointed about my broken laptop. An old man offered to help drive me to the bus stop and I did accept. It was not a safe decision, my friend told me later, but I was too tired to continue walking and he seemed to be a nice man. Fortunately, I connected with some country-friends in my apartment village and they offered me rides to go shopping. When checking options of a new laptop, I tested my laptop with a new adapter and it worked (?!). After replacing it, everything got back to normal. Phew!

Lesson 3: My purpose for writing this blog series is to motivate you if you have ever fallen into “bad luck” or issues, that thinking about my story, hopefully, could make you feel better. I would also want to help you to stay away from such troubles as much as possible, with good preparation. Do ask for help. IFI and your country student association are reliable sources to rely on. And on top of these, keep thinking positive! Sometimes you do not have a choice for what happens to you, but you will always have a choice of how to react towards it. It is your behavior that changes your luck, not the luck itself.